Toy figure



D. M. WARREN TOY FIGURE.

March 23, 1943.

Filed Nov. 21, 1941 INVENT OR. DorzaZdM WarfiQ L 5%, g

HTTYS- Patented Mar. 23, 1943 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE TOY FIGURE.

Donald M. Warren, La Fayette, Ind.

Application November 21, 1941, Serial No. 419,929

7 Claims.

This invention relates primarily to toys and more particularly to toy figures such as repre sentations of persons, animals, scenery and articles in general made of sheet material such as paper or fiber board.

The main object of the invention is to provide a simple but efiicient arrangement for supporting various toy figures of the character indicated in upstanding position, it being understood that the figures are made of sheet material of such thin character that the figures are not normally capable of standing on edge.

Other objects of the invention are to provide toy figure supporting means which may be repeatedly attached to and detached from the artiole to be supported; to provide a toy figure and a detachable support therefor which may be formed from the same kind of sheet material and in fact from the same sheet of sheet material; and to provide a toy figure and support such as above indicated which may be produced economically and at low cost.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be understood by reference to the following specification and accompanying drawing in which certain representative forms of the invention are illustrated.

In the drawing, Figs. 1 and 2 are face and edge views respectively of a selected toy figure.

Figs. 3 and 4 are face and edge views respectively of a support.

Fig. 5 is a face view of another representative figure. 1

Fig. 6 is a face view of a combined figure and support.

Figs. 7 and 8 are face and edge views respectively of the figure shown in Fig. 5 with a supporting member operatively associated with the Fig. 9 is an edge view of a figure such as shown in Figs. 1 and 5 with an attached support such as shown in Fig. 6.

Figs. 10 and 11 are fragmentary face and edge views respectively of a toy figure and support embodying a modified arrangement and Fig. 12 is a face view of a card embodying a plurality of figures and supports adapted to be removed from the card and interconnected in the manner illustrated in Figs. 7 and 8.

Referring now to the drawing, the toy figures herein contemplated may be representative of an almost unlimited range of animate and inanimate objects. In Figs. 1 and 5 the figures are typified by the representation of a horse and person respectively. Thefigures are preferably made of a suitable grade of paper board, the thickness of which is sufiicient to resist bending if handled with a reasonable degree of care. However, the thickness is insuificient to enable the figures to stand on edge under normal conditions.

At a suitable intermediate point, the figure has cut into it a recess IS, the upper portionof one side of the recess being preferably curved as indicated at i6 and caused to meet the other edge I! preferably at an acute angle. The edge I! is preferably a straight edge and the figure is provided with a tongue l8 extending edgewise from the edge I! into the recess l5.

The tongu I 8 is preferably so shaped that where it joins the edge I! of the figure, it is of somewhat less width than it is at a point slightly outwardly from said edge and its width is again preferably reduced toward the free end thereof.

The figure is also provided on opposite sides of the recess I5 with substantially straight bottom edge portions as indicated at 19.

The supporting member illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4 is also formed of paper board or similar sheet material and it may be ofthe same thickness as the figure to be supported, and in fact it may be made from the same sheet of material. As shown, the support embodies a substantially straight bottom edge 20, an opening 2| and an upper edge V-shaped notch 22. The opening 2| preferably is so formed as to provide more or less contracted upper and lower end portions 23 and 24. As shown, the opening 2| embodies a flat side'25 and a curved side 26, the latter being conveniently a segment of a circle, although any other shape may be employed which will provide the desired gripping effect on the tongue of the figure as will hereinafter be pointed out.

A support such as shown in Figs. 3 and 4 may be assembled with a toy figure such as shown in Figs. 1 and 5 by inserting the support endwise into the recess it of the figure with the upper edge notch 22 of the support embracing the curved edge portion I6 of the figure. Whenthe notched upper edge of the support engages the upper end of the straight edge [1 as represented in dotted lines in- Fig. 7, the support may be rocked from the dotted line position shown in Fig. '7 toward the straight edge ll so as to effect insertion of the tongue into and through the opening 2!. For purposes of identification of the figure and support in its entirety, the figure is designated F and the support S.

The tongue and opening 18 and 2| respectively are so related in size that the widened intermediate portion of the tongue I8 will resist passage through the opening 2i but may nevertheless be forced therethrough. The reduced width portion of the tongue adjacent the edge I! is preferably of such width that it will fit snugly between the ends 23 and 24 of the opening 2|, whereby the support and figure are quite rigidly interconnected. The seating of the edge portion of the figure in the upper V-shaped notch 22 of the support also assists in holding the parts rigidly in assembled relation.

In Fig. 6 the support member S is illustrated as having formed integrally with it another figure designated SF, the figure SF and support S being both formed of sheet material. A combination support and figure such as illustrated.

in Fig. 6 may be employed in various arrangements, one of which may be typified by the association of a figure of a man or person such as represented in Fig. 6 with the figure of a horse or other animal such as represented in Fig. 1. This relationship is illustrated in Fig. 9 wherein the main figure F appears in edge View. In Fig. 6 the opening Zia in the support is illustrated as being formed by oppositely curved edges 21 and 28 which intersect at their ends to form upper and lower V-shaped ends 29 and 30 respectively. The length of the opening Hot, 1. e. its dimension between its V-shaped ends 29 and 33 is such that the tongue 3 may be forced therethrough and such that the widened intermediate portion of the tongue resists passage through the opening. The V-shaped ends 251 and 30 serve to eifectively grip the edges of the tongue with perhaps somewhat greater force than the segmental opening 2| of the support shown in Fig. 3, and thereby serves to rigidly maintain the members in relatively fixed, assembled relationship. 7

The means for connecting the support and figure may be varied in other manners, for example, as shown in Figs. 10 and 11. As there shown, the support S is provided with a lower edge V-shaped notch 3| disposed oppositely to the upper edge notch 22. The notch 22 is adapted to engage the curved edge iii of the figure at the opening l and the lower edge notch 3| is adapted to engage an upwardly humped edge portion 32 of a tongue 33 which extends into the recess i5 from its straight edge ll. The modified form of support shown in Figs. and 11 may be assembled with the figure in substantially the same manner as illustrated in Fig. 7.

As represented in Fig. 12, the figures and supports are outlined in a card C of the desired sheet material, the outlining beingin the form of die cut lines which extend almost but not quite completely through the stock so as to retain the outlined figures and supports in sheet form in the card while facilitating their removal from the card by the application of slight pressure on the figures to press them from the card. The die cutting may, in an alternative arrangement be such as to out completely through the stock except at selected intervals where the stock may remain uncut or be only partially cut through so as to provide readily breakable bonds at the selected intervals. By reason of the fact that the supports and figures may thus be made in sheet form, production of the figures and supports and packaging thereof is greatly facilitated and costs maintained very low.

Paper board such as normally employed for the production of toy figures of the character herein contemplated has an inherent resiliency which is s'ufiicient to permit a small amount of displacement or distortion of the material of the support and figure as may be required in the insertion of the tongue of the one member into the opening of the other in the described snugly fitting or interconnecting arrangement. Such resiliency is suflicient to permit repeated attachment and detachment or interconnection and separation of the support and member without seriously impairing the rigidity of the parts when connected.

Changes in the described structure may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention, the scope of which should be determined by reference to the following claims, the same being construed as broadly as possible consistent with the state of the art.

I claim:

1. A toy figure member of sheet material designed to stand on edge but of such thickness as to be normally incapable of so doing, and a sheet material support member also designed to stand on edge and of such thickness as to be normally incapable of so doing, means for detachably interconnecting said members in transversely extending upstanding relationship to each other, said interconnecting means comprising a tongue extending edgewise from an upwardly extending edge of one of said members and an opening provided in the other of said members for receiving said tongue, said tongue and opening being of tightly interfitting character, the relationship of said figure and support, when interconnected, being such that they cross each other so that the support extends in opposite directions from the opposite faces of the figure and the figure extends in opposite directions from the opposite faces of the support, and said figure and support, when interconnected having substantially co-planar bottom edge portions.

2. A toy figure of sheet material designed to stand on edge but of such thickness as to be normally incapable of so doing, and a sheet material support member also designed to stand on edge and of such thickness as to be normally incapable of so doing, means for detachably interconnecting said members in transversely ex-- tending upstanding relationship to each other, one of said members being formed so as to have a vertically disposed straight edge, a laterally extending edge intersecting said straight edge, and a tongue extending edgewise of the member from said straight edge, the other of said members being provided with an edge notch and with an opening,'said edge notch being adapted to embrace a portion of said tongued member adjacent the intersection of said vertical and laterally extending edges, and the opening being adapted to snugly receive said tongue, whereby said figure and support are operative to support each other in upright position, said members when interconnected, having substantially coplanar bottom edge portions.

I 3. Atoy figure member of sheet material designed to stand on' edge but of such thickness as to be normally incapable of so doing, and a sheet material support member also designed to stand on edge and of such thickness as to be normally incapable of so doing, means for detachably interconnecting said members in transversely extending upstanding relationship to each other, said interconnecting means comprising a tongue extending edgewise from an upwardly extending 1 edge of one of said members and an opening provided in the other of said members for receiving said tongue, said tongue and opening being of tightly interfitting character, the member having said opening being also provided with an edge notch spaced from said opening and operative to embrace a portion of the tongued member spaced from the tongue, thereby to facilitate positioning of said notched member relative to the tongued member for insertion of the tongue in said opening, said members when interconnected, having bottom edge portions disposed in relatively transversely extending co-planar relation whereby said members are operative to support each other in upstanding position.

4. A toy figure of sheet material designed to stand on edge but of such thickness as to be normally incapable of so doing, and a sheet material support member also designed to stand on edge and. of such thickness as to be normally incapable of so doing, and means for detachably interconnecting said members in transversely extending upstanding relationship to each other, comprising in one of said members, a recess opening to an edge of the member, said recess having an upwardly extending straight edge and another edge portion which extends transversely of and intersects said straight edge, said member also being provided with a tongue extending into said recess from said straight edge, the other member being provided with an edge notch adapted to be positioned in embracing relation to said transversely extending edge portion of the first member to initially position the members for interconnection, said other member being also provided with an opening for receiving and positioning said tongue, said members being thereby connected in predetermined relation to each other, and said members, when interconnected having substantially co-planar bottom edge portions.

5. A toy figure member of sheet material designed to stand on edge, but of such thickness as to be normally incapable of so doing, and a sheet material support member also designed to stand on edge and of such thickness as to be normally incapable of so doing, means for detachably interconnecting said members in transversely extending, upstanding relationship to each other, said interconnecting means comprising a tongue extending edgewise from an upwardly extending edge of one of said members, and an opening provided in the other of said members for receiving said tongue, said tongue and opening being of tightly interfitting character so as to effect said detachable interconnection of said members, said members, when interconnected, having bottom edge portions disposed in relatively transversely extending co-planar relationship whereby said members are operative to support each other in upstanding position, and said support having another figure member formed integrally with it.

6. A toy figure member of sheet material designed to stand on edge, but of such thickness as to be normally incapable of so doing, and a sheet material base member also designed to stand on edge and of such thickness as to be normally incapable of so doing, said base member being of substantially less height than said figure member, means for detachably interconnecting said members in upstanding, transversely extending relationship to each other, said interconnecting means comprising a tongue extending edgewise from an edge of one of said members, and an opening provided in the other of said members for receiving said tongue, said tongue having spaced edge portions, and said opening being formed so as to freely receive the thickness of said tongue and so as to provide spaced seats respectively adapted to lockingly receive said spaced tongue edge portions, thereby to rigidly interconnect said members in said upstanding, transversely extending relationship to each other, said members, when interconnected, having substantially co-planar, relatively transversely extending bottom edge portions for engagement with a supporting surface.

7. A toy figure member of sheet material designed to stand on edge, but of such thickness as to be normally incapable of so doing, and a sheet material base member also designed to stand on edge and of such thickness as to be normally in capable of so doing, means for detachably interconnecting said members in upstanding, transversely extending relationship to each other, said interconnecting means comprising, in one of the members, a pair of spaced openings, at least one of which openings is in the form of a notch in an edge of the member, said openings serving to provide a pair of relatively spaced edge portions constituting relatively spaced seats, the other mem ber having an edge and a pair of relatively spaced projections extending laterally from said edge and respectively providing relatively spaced, laterally extending edge portions respectively adapted to lockingly engage said spaced seats of the other member, the spacing of the seats of the first member and of said laterally extending. edge portions of the other member being such as to cause the inter-engaging seats and edges to fit snugly against each other to thereby efiect said detachable interconnection of said members, said edge opening of the first member serving to facilitate initial positioning of the base member relative to the figure member with said inter-engaging edges in registry with each other, thereby facilitating assembling of said members into said interconnected, cooperative relationship.

DONALD M. WARREN. 

